At OTYS we are continuously optimizing the user experiences for our customers. For this we consider your feedback to be very important.

Based on your feedback, we have decided to change the Key User Training.

Why are we making changes?

Within OTYS we have had two roles for years: Users and Key Users. As a Key User you have more rights within OTYS and you can adjust the layout of the system, submit tickets and create new users.

We have always covered all options for the Key User in one afternoon training. As you may understand this is a lot of information for half a day. We also received this feedback from the participants of the training. For those who really want to get started with managing their own system, it was actually too much information in a short time. What we also noticed more and more is that a large part of the participants do not really want to make adjustments to the system themselves, but mainly want to become Key Users in order to be able to send out tickets and create accounts for new colleagues.

New roles and training types

With the feedback received in mind, we have adapted both the roles and the types of training. We now use three roles: User, Super User and Key User. We explain the differences to you.

User

As a User you have the usual rights for daily work. We give a User Training twice a month via Teams, in which we discuss the most used modules and functionalities. You can register for this training via our website.

Super User

The Super User has the rights of a User and additionally the rights to create tickets and new users. So for this you no longer need to become a Key User! A Super User does not have the rights to make changes to the layout, but can submit a change request via Support.

We expect this to be a godsend for many of our customers; this way you can ensure that the system remains up-to-date with your working method, without having to delve into settings and extra modules yourself.

Are you interested? You can request the rights via Support. The maximum number of Super Users depends on the size of the organization. There is no separate training for the Super User role; we have made informative videos that explain step by step how to create Tickets and Users within OTYS.

Key User

In our previous training courses, we made the assumption that someone who became a 'Key User' would be responsible for all changes to the interior. Statuses, workflows, mail templates, rights for your colleagues, everything was in one training. In practice, it turned out that participants often came to a training for one specific component, for example reports.

In our new training courses we have divided the topics. This way you can choose training courses that suit your interests and the role you have within your own organization. Because of this division we also take plenty of time per subject. This also gives you more time to deepen your knowledge and to practice on your own. These training courses are given on location in Houten and include a catered lunch.

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Cloud-based recruitment solution OTYS to integrate chatbot interviewer Dora

Houten (NL) & Tirgu Mures (RO) – Dutch OTYS – developer of OTYS Go!, an intergated cloud solution for the recruitment sector – is to enter a global partnership with Romanian Happy Recruiter – developer of the HR chatbot Dora. Thanks to this new partnership, OTYS’ clients can further automate and optimize the full recruitment process. Advantages are obvious, both for candidates, employers and recruiters.

In an ever more difficult labor market, technology is gaining importance in the recruitment process. Dutch OTYS is the developer of OTYS Go!, a cloud-based integrated total solution for recruiters. OTYS helps companies in seamlessly finding and linking candidates and employers throughout the full recruitment process, from searching and finding to managing all administrative details.

The OTYS offering is now expanded by integrating ‘Dora the recruitment robot’ in OTYS Go!. Dora is a chatbot, developed by Romanian Happy Recruiter. It is a robot that searches for candidates all over the Internet. Next, it contacts the candidates and takes first job interviews.

Thanks to our two combined technologies, we are able to automate the repetitive and stressful parts of recruiting. As a consequence, our human recruiters can focus on what they do best: helping find people the best job possible.

Bert Koning
CEO OTYS Recruiting Technology

Both OTYS and Dora offer advanced technologies, that from now on are flawlessly integrated.

Speed is essential in recruiting. Our chatbot Dora works 24/7, searching the Internet for suitable candidates and taking the first interviews. The best candidates are then entered into the OTYS recruitment software.

Calin Stefanescu
CEO Happy Recruiter

Many Advantages

Advantages of this partnership are manyfold. Candidates are found, contacted and interviewed faster, and get immediate feedback. Recruiters can outsource the timeconsuming and stressful parts of the work to robots and focus on the human interaction further on in the process. Employers get better candidates faster, and do not have to waste time in several stressful elements of the whole recruitment process. The Dora-integration into OTYS Go! results in faster processes, higher success rates and all this with less working stress on the human recruiters.

The OTYS Recruitment System is designed to work quickly and efficiently. For this intelligent cloud solution, all you need is internet access and a web browser. But, what if you now want to add a new candidate on the go? What if you want to look up a customer's contact details? Or just simply want to send an update e-mail to a colleague after a conversation? The new OTYS on the Go! app makes mobile working easy, efficient and pleasant!

All the information at hand

In the OTYS on the Go! app you have all the information at hand to work quickly and, most importantly, easily in OTYS. You can now consult the following matters in the app: vacancies, candidates, contacts, e-mails and calendar appointments. Over the past period, we at OTYS have worked hard on an app that is not only technically sound, but which is also at the highest level in terms of interface and ease of use. Enjoy a very intuitive app. Safe, easy and fast.

Improving our software

The old OTYS apps all had only one function. This worked, but let's be honest: not very well. You were forced to continuously switch between the apps for your different actions. In the new OTYS app, you will find all modules bundled. With a single swipe of the thumb, you go from candidate to contact, so you can send said contact an e-mail.

Flexible dashboard

Get to work mobile with a handy dashboard where you can see your entire schedule at a single glance. Just like the dashboard in your web browser, this dashboard can be adjusted to taste and preference.

Partner integrations

The app not only has room for the modules of OTYS, but also for our partners. For example, do you use the smart Whatsapp inbox of our partner Joboti? Then you can easily access it via the On the Go! app. Did you know that OTYS is the only recruitment software supplier where partners are so seamlessly incorporated in one application?

OTYS starts a partnership with Talentir, a start-up from Martijn Roffel, a former OTYS employee and now specialist in Recruitment Marketing. AskSem is the party to improve your recruitment results! How? Through Recruitment Marketing.

What does Recruitment Marketing entail?

Recruitment Marketing is a broad term but as soon as the activities below come to mind we're talking about about Recruitment Marketing.

Activities which...

  • are needed to make candidates aware of your employer brand,
  • can increase interactions with your candidates,
  • are supportive of the placement of candidates

Concrete examples of this are reducing Cost per Hire, increasing Candidate Value or providing insight into your Candidate Journey. 

Talentir is the ideal partner for OTYS users who have the desire but not the knowledge to use the possibilities of Recruitment Marketing.

Martijn Roffel: "A Recruiter is not a Marketeer but in the current market you can't really do without. I started Talentir so I can help recruiters achieve their goals."

OTYS: "The collaboration arose because we noticed that there is an increasing demand from OTYS users for Recruitment Marketing.  
People are increasingly inquiring about the possibilities for Ads in Instagram or Tiktok. With a specialist as a partner, we help our clients optimally."

Some OTYS clients already knew the way to Talentir and can speak from experience about the unique approach and positive results. 

An additional advantage of Talentir is the knowledge and experience of Martijn Roffel. Divided over two periods he has been working at OTYS for about 10 years. His knowledge and experience is very useful for both OTYS and OTYS users. A win-win situation for every stakeholder! 

AskSem is an ambitious, personal and driven organization with extensive expertise in the field of Recruitment Marketing.
By combining the use of our platform with AskSem's approach, recruiting through online paid channels becomes easier, more cost effective and more efficient. This has already led to visible growth with our shared clients.

Bert Koning
CEO - OTYS Recruiting Technology

Unique name and work method 

The name AskSem comes from Arbeidsmarktcommunicatie (Labour Market Communication), Strategie (Strategy) and Kpi's and Search Engine Marketing and is considered the foundation of AskSem's services.

AskSem developed its own Recruitment Marketing models, which in combination with an employer brand form an unforgettable Candidate Journey. Every candidate touchpoint is equally important leaving nothing to chance. This is how AskSem delivers data-driven and forward-thinking solutions. 

"Because every employer, intermediary, recruiter, vacancy, sector and candidate is different, we believe in a customized solution. 

AskSem's model allows us to develop a tailor-made strategy that makes every AskSem client unique and no campaign the same," says Martijn Roffel.

Interest in Recruitment Marketing

Are you interested in AskSem's services? If so, please get in touch with your contact or the Customer Sales department: customersales@otys.nl.

Like many other organizations, have you paid a lot of attention to diversity and inclusivity within the organization in recent years? Then you also know how difficult it is to achieve the goals you set for this. An often underexposed subject has to do with the content, the text, of all kinds of expressions. You can think of vacancy texts, but also internal newsletters and other media through which you want to reach both your own employees and future employees. The aim is to reach as many people as possible. And to above all, not exclude groups of people. Inclusive writing is the key word here.

But what exactly is inclusive writing, and where does it go wrong? And how can data help you with inclusive writing?

What is inclusive writing?

When we talk about diversity and inclusivity, vacancies play an urgent role. Especially if your goal is to hire a greater diversity of people. You can look for diversity in age, gender and cultural background, but for instance also in educational background and personality. A vacancy is written inclusively if it appeals to all these people at the same time, and if no one feels left out when they read the text.

You can do inclusive writing by taking into account the following general points:

  • People-oriented writing, also known as gender neutral writing. You do this by using he/she or the plural.
  • Address the reader with you or you.
  • Make sure your content doesn't discriminate by age. You do this of course by not mentioning ages in your text.
  • Avoid stereotyping in words and/or associations. You probably use them unconsciously more often than you think.
  • Think of “caring” for women and “powerful” for men.
  • Digital accessibility. Applying the WCAG's rules (more on this later) ensures that the text is accessible to everyone. So also for people with disabilities.

The 3 biggest language missed opportunities

Nevertheless, inclusive writing still regularly goes wrong. And that often happens unconsciously. When writing vacancy texts, you run the risk of only addressing a small group of potential candidates. This makes the chance of finding the perfect, diverse, candidate even smaller.

What goes wrong then if we want to write inclusively? 

1. The language level: make it easy and pleasant to read for a large group

The goal of inclusive writing is that everyone can find and understand your vacancy. Various studies by Textmetrics within 300 Dutch companies have shown that many vacancy texts are written too difficult. Of course, highly educated people can understand more complex texts. But that doesn't mean they want to read it. If you pay attention to writing in understandable language, it will take the reader less time and energy to read the text. In doing so, they are more likely to become enthusiastic and motivated by a text that is not too complex.

What makes a text easy and pleasant to read? For that keep the following points in mind:

  • Do not use difficult/specialist words, but choose words that everyone knows.
  • Write concise, lively sentences that are easy to read.
    Do not forget to give the vacancy text a clear title and subheadings.
  • Use bullet points and keep your paragraphs short.
  • Choose a legible font and enough white spaces.

2. Bias: don't discriminate (unknowingly) on age and gender

Inclusive writing is done to address different types of people. You should not make any distinction based on age or gender. Unfortunately, this still happens (consciously and unconsciously) in many vacancy texts. For example, it may state that organizations are looking for students. Or that they are looking for candidates with a maximum of 8 years of work experience. By avoiding these kinds of sentences you can prevent age discrimination. A more sophisticated form of ageism in job openings can for example be describing the team as young and energetic.

There is something else going on when it comes to gender bias. Unconsciously, many texts have a more masculine tone of voice, which makes women feel less addressed when they read these texts. In many vacancies we also see words that refer to characteristics that are known as 'masculine'. See below some examples of masculine and feminine words.

Male

Female

Autonomously

Involved

Analytical

Communicative

Decisive

Customer-friendly

Result-oriented 

Honest

Driven

Sensitive

Firmly

Committed

 

Below you will find an example of a male-formulated job requirement
You are result oriented

Do you want to make this sentence feminine or gender neutral? Then choose the focus on behaviour:
You are able to achieve results

Check your vacancy texts for the amount of male (or female) characteristics you name in the profile and strive for a good mix of both.

3. The accessibility

You publish most vacancies online. No less than 25% of all internet users have a functional limitation. Then you have to think of people who are, for example, hard of hearing, blind or color blind. So you have to take digital accessibility into account. You don't just want to appeal to more people, but above all you don't want to exclude anyone.

It revolves around 4 principles. Include these in the texts you write for online use. The text must:

  • Be observable: people should be able to experience and use the website with the senses they have. Think of text alternatives for non-text content such as a video or image.
  • Be operable: people should be able to find and use the content on the website. For example, a page with content must also only be navigable with a keyboard and without a mouse.
  • Be understandable: people and software must be able to understand the content. Think of making the content readable and clear and of the language level.
  • Be robust: this is a bit technical, but the point is that the content must be reliable to interpret.

The above principles seem obvious, but various analyzes by Textmetrics show the opposite. The aforementioned study among 300 Dutch companies also looked at digital accessibility. The vast majority of companies have multiple accessibility issues. 

Inclusive writing thanks to augmented writing

The what and why of inclusive writing is clear. But the writing itself is trickier than you might think. As we saw above, there is a lot to consider. A condition is that you can place yourself in various target groups while writing.

Fortunately, there are handy tools that can help you make inclusive writing a lot easier. Then we are talking about data-driven platforms (eg Textmetrics). These can help to prevent exclusion through language use. You can see such a platform as a writing coach, who helps you achieve the D&I objectives.

In addition, many augmented writing platforms also give you suggestions for

  • Tone of voice
  • SEO Optimization
  • Avoiding words that are too difficult for the target audience

Would you like to know more about how a platform like Textmetrics can help you? Read more about Textmetrics' Smart Writing Assistant here.